It is what McEwen achieves in creating mood, characterisation and tension, with a real economy of words, that is impressive here, rather than a work of poetic beauty. Like The Sense of an Ending, I feel that what impresses most about Amsterdam is its craft rather than its art. It will sit with others I found to be just ok – The Sense of an Ending, The Remains of the Day and Disgrace – three other short, spare, novels that disclose their themes somewhat subtly.

Looking across years, Amsterdam would not rank among my favourite Booker winners. So our only comparison to judge Amsterdam is with five other shortlisted books, all of which seem to have faded from reader’s thoughts fairly quickly, none of which have I read nor do I feel particularly inclined to experience judging from their blurbs. This was before longlisted nominees, if there were any, were made known to the public. Clive and Vernon agree that they would not want their lives to end like that.įrom this day, Clive and Vernon make a pact that binds them together but, soon after, they also each make a disastrous moral decision that threatens to destroy their careers and their legacy.Īmsterdam won the 1998 Booker Prize. So much so that she suffered terribly and did not have time to get her affairs in order or make it known what her wishes were for such circumstances. Molly’s mental disintegration and death came on suddenly. It is also something of a thriller, which, combined with its brevity means there is little of the plot that can be leant for discussion in review.Ĭlive Linley and Vernon Halliday are old friends and high-ranking public professionals who have just encountered each other again when attending the funeral of a mutual former lover, Molly Lane. I am not sure what to say about Amsterdam.Īt 178 pages, it is short. A study of heartlessness and hypocrisy in the face of contemporary moral dilemmas, it is a short, sharp, well-crafted novel. Ian McEwen’s Amsterdam won the 1998 Booker Prize.

Amsterdam condensed ian mcewan